


Circle Me and the Needle Moves Gracefully

by sherlocks_skeletal_warlock



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Malec, Minor Injuries, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-22 04:04:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11959335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sherlocks_skeletal_warlock/pseuds/sherlocks_skeletal_warlock
Summary: When Alec comes home from a long day, a long week at the Institute and finds Magnus gone, what is he to do?





	Circle Me and the Needle Moves Gracefully

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So this is my first Shadowhunters fic and I've only seen the TV series so far. This is set sometime in the second season, prior to Valentine's capture. I do hope you like it!

It had been such a long week. Alec was exhausted, his limbs heavy, his head pounding and a fresh _iratze_ was struggling to shift the throbbing in his shoulder. Jace had dislocated it in training. Aside from all that, the eldest Lightwood sibling was emotionally drained after Valentine's attacks and missing Magnus as they both worked.

 

It was so nice to head home to the loft.

 

Home. To Magnus.

 

Alec had to admit that he had missed him so much.

 

* * *

 

 

It wasn't long before he reached the Warlock's apartment and headed up the stairs, knocking softly. It was likely that Magnus had left the door unlocked for him but Alec liked to make sure that he wouldn't surprise him in the middle of a meeting with a client or doing a complex spell. He'd only been spending nights at the loft for a few weeks and Alec was still a little nervous about it all.

 

Still, when there was no answer to his knock, Alec wasn't particularly worried. Magnus was likely on the balcony or in the bathroom or in his office. The Shadowhunter let himself in, the door unlocked as he had expected.

 

But the view of Magnus's apartment was anything but expected.

 

There was artifacts and books strewn across the floor and the small drinks table was over-turned; there was a smashed decanter beside it, the amber liquid which had previously been contain soaked into the carpet. One sofa was pushed aside and the other was scorched by what Alec recognised as magic. Magnus's magic. Bile rose in his throat and he called out, his voice cracking on the first syllable,

 

"Mag-Magnus? Magnus, babe, are you here?"

 

It wasn't common for the Lightwood to use pet names but some desperate part of Alec reasoned that his boyfriend may somehow respond, appear from the bedroom looking sheepish and explain that it was a spider.

 

But the Shadowhunter was met with silence. Immediately, his heart began to pound and he fumbled for his phone in his pocket. Calling the Warlock had no success as he immediately heard the chimes of Magnus's phone from under the ruined sofa. So, next, Alec called his sister. As the dialing tone sounded, Alec took deep, steadying breaths. He was a warrior, a trained soldier. He'd lost people before.

 

But this was different.

 

This was **_Magnus_**.

 

And though Alec had never admitted it, not even to himself, he wasn't sure he could live without him.

 

"Alec? I thought you went over to Magnus's?" were Izzy's first words when she picked up her phone.

 

"He's gone, Iz, Magnus is gone; it looks like there's been a fight and I called him but his phone, it's here and he's not, Izzy! What if Valentine has him and he's already dead? I don't-"

 

"Alec!" Isabelle had to cut him off before he hyperventilated. "Breathe. I'm on my way with Jace and Clary, we can see if we can track him, okay?"

 

"Okay, okay." He inhaled deeply, pushing aside the panicky part of his brain that protested that what if Magnus was already dead? What if he was over water and they couldn't find him?

 

"We're coming, Alec, we're going to get him back," said Izzy firmly and with that she hung up and Alec was left alone once more in the ruined apartment.

 

* * *

 

 

In the time it took the other Shadowhunters to reach Magnus's loft, Alec had begun to put it back together, returning the furniture to it's place and cleaning up the glass. He found Magnus's favourite ear cuff, the spider web one, on the carpet near the broken decanter.

 

And blood. As though someone had been hit with the decanter. As though **_Magnus_** had been hit with the decanter.

 

Alec couldn't fight the nausea in his stomach any longer and Izzy burst in to find her brother retching emptily on the floor, clutching at the ear cuff.

 

"Alec, oh fuck." Jace was by his side in a second, holding his _parabati_ up as Alec fought to steady himself. "Alec, you gotta breathe! Magnus needs you to focus right now. He's going to be okay but you need to focus so you can find him." It took a moment but Alec pulled himself together and sat up, holding out the ear cuff.

 

"Track him with me. _Parabati_ tracking is stronger." Jace enclosed his hand around Alec's and they both focused, searching for the Warlock with their combined power.

 

And then it clicked.

 

"I've got him!" Alec was on his feet and heading to the door before he was stopped by Jace,

 

"Wait, wait. This could easily be a trap. We need to go in fully armed." Alec was about to pull away, to state that **_Magnus_** was the priority when Izzy handed him his bow and quiver wordlessly. With that, the Shadowhunters left the loft; Alec locked the door behind him with a rune.

 

He didn't want anyone else disturbing it.

 

* * *

 

 

Following the trace that they had, it took the group out of the busy areas of Brooklyn, towards an area of warehouses.

 

"He's in one of these," muttered Jace, his Seraph blade in his hand. "Let's split up. Izzy, Clary, you take the ones on the left. Alec and I will take the ones on the right."

 

The girls nodded, scurrying off to check the warehouses nearby. Alec notched an arrow with steady hands, keeping the string loose as he followed Jace towards the other warehouses.

 

Soundless, the _parabati_ scouted out four empty warehouses before they heard sounds. Jace gestured, but Alec didn't need the hand movements. He knew exactly what they were going to do; their bond ensured that. As Jace slipped around the back, Alec crept to the front of the warehouse, throwing open the doors. Before any of the men inside, recognisable as Valentine's loyal by their Circle rune, could react, Alec had killed one with an arrow to the head.

 

Then Jace burst in, engaging a second. But he had been right about this being a trap as several Forsaken as well as Nephilim joined the fight.

 

Now, Alec was an archer. His weapon, his training, wasn't designed for fighting up close and personal. Whilst he was able to deal with several enemies from a distance, had Clary and Izzy not joined the fight moments later, Alec would have been skewered by a particularly violent Nephilim.

 

The siblings shared a grimace of understanding before throwing themselves back into the fight. He could see Magnus now, slumped over in the chair he was tied to and the clear mistreatment, no - **_torture_** , of his boyfriend only fueled Alec's rage. He fought like he'd never fought before, all anger and viciousness. He dragged an arrow from a Forsaken's eye socket only to drive it into another's chest so hard that the strengthened arrow splintered with the force. Behind him, Jace grunted in pain as a Circle member nicked him with his Seraph blade and Alec whirled, sending an arrow straight into his chest. Izzy dragged a Forsaken away from the _parabati_ with her whip and Clary finished it off with a well placed slash of her blade. Valentine's creations and supporters may have been plentiful but they were no match for the Shadowhunters who remained uninjured, save for a few cuts and scrapes.

But Alec couldn't care less about his own pain as he darted to Magnus's side, cupping the other's face in his hands.

 

"Magnus? Magnus, I'm here." The Warlock stirred at his touch, his golden cat eyes opening. He was clearly in pain, his face bruised and swollen and his hair was matted with blood. Valentine's men must have given him something to repress his magic because the bloody gash across his left thigh and his clearly broken wrist weren't healing at all.

 

"Angel," slurred Magnus and Alec wasted no time in cutting the Warlock loose and lifting him into his arms.

 

"Relax, Mags, it's okay, I'm here."

 

"Knew you would come." Magnus's eyes fixed on Alec, soft and trusting. "Knew my Alexander would find me." Behind him, Alec could hear Jace and Clary scoff slightly but Alec only had eyes for Magnus.

 

"Always, Mags. Now, I'm going to take you home and then I'll call Catrina and she will come and heal you." And for once, Magnus didn't respond, merely smiled and pressed himself closer to Alec's chest.

 

* * *

 

 

It took Alec five days to tell Magnus that he couldn't close his eyes without seeing him so vulnerable. The Warlock had been well and working within a day of his ordeal, thanks to Catrina Loss. But Alec couldn't shake the fear he had felt seeing the flat destroyed and then seeing Magnus hurt and alone.

 

But Magnus just smiled, reached up to touch his cheek with his healed hand and asked why, why couldn't Alec forget?

 

"Because, because I can't live without you, Magnus. Because you, you're my home."

 

And Magnus smiled so wide that Alec realised that that was all he needed.

 

"Why, my dear Alexander. You are my home as well." And Magnus's hand slid down over his collar to his chest. To his heart.

 

And really, that was all there was to say.


End file.
